1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a contents distribution system capable of using contents from a wireless device without using a Kiosk terminal, its method, an accounting device, a contents distribution apparatus, and a program.
2. Description of Related Art
Kiosk terminals (a computer with a touch-screen display that displays information) are often placed in public and commercial facilities (e.g., airports, museums, educational institutions, shopping malls, convenience stores, retail stores, office lobbies, etc.) enabling customers to have instant electronic access to information, products, and/or services. Recent Kiosk terminals have advanced multimedia features such as digital photo printer, Internet terminal, Wi-Fi wireless access point, digital music download station, payment system etc. that allow customers to purchase contents (e.g., music, movies, e-books, software, educational content, advertising, literary works, and other media assets) and conduct financial transactions (ticket reservations, billing and settlement, etc.).
However, there are many problems associated with traditional Kiosk terminals. For example, the cost of starting and operating a Kiosk terminal service is expensive. The costs incurred in a Kiosk terminal business includes the Kiosk terminal purchase or lease fee, setup costs, software installation/customization costs, maintenance costs, floor space rent, etc. Additionally, Kiosk terminals occupy a lot of valuable floor space that can be used for other meaningful and profitable purposes. Also, since only one user can use the Kiosk terminal at a time, Kiosk terminal operators are unable to provide services to multiple users simultaneously, leading to a loss of sales especially during peak hours. Furthermore, since Kiosk terminals are often placed in unmonitored areas, Kiosk terminal operators often have security concerns when providing cash based pay-for-use services, since they may be targets for vandalism and theft.
A technology, where a contents service provider places a Kiosk terminal like system at a public facility and offers customers various types of pay-per-use electronic contents through a pre-paid system, is proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-279212).